Changed for Good
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Pezberry Week 2014 entry. While out exploring London, Rachel runs into someone from her past. One-shot


_**LbN: Pezberry Week, day 2: Reunited after years apart. **_

Two full weeks as Elphaba on West End! It was nearly too good to be true. Rachel had just won a Tony the year before as Elphaba, and she definitely felt a sense of…well, nostalgia, seeing the Wicked stage again. Even if the stage was an ocean away from where she'd first performed.

She'd come a few weeks early to adjust to jetlag and acquaint herself with the city. So far, she loved it. Except the god awful Northern Line. That could go straight to hell, although the argument could be made that it _was _hell already. She was on her way out of the small sushi shop, when someone nudged into her.

"Oh, sorry."

"No, my fault, I wasn't…. Rachel?"

"Santana?"

The two stood staring at each other for a long moment, before Santana let out a bark of laughter and hugged Rachel tightly.

"Oh my god!" she said. "Of all the people to smack into on my lunch break…. What are you doing in London?"

"What are _you _doing in London?" Rachel asked, equally astonished.

"I work just around the corner at 20th Century Fox," Santana explained.

"No way! That's amazing! Do you…maybe want to catch up?"

"Sure," Santana said softly. "Let me grab something in here and I'll meet you outside."

* * *

They walked to Soho Square and found a free stretch of grass to lounge on. For a while after the initial exchange of phone numbers, neither woman spoke. It was Rachel who finally broke the silence.

"When you left… it didn't feel real for a while."

Santana nodded but stayed silent.

"Was it because of me?" Rachel asked. "I know that's probably incredibly self-absorbed and wrong, but I have to know."

"A little," Santana admitted. "I was just tired of always having everyone's back, just for no one to have mine in the end. I was tired of feeling like a horrible person, when all I did was try to protect people." She took Rachel's hand when the younger woman cringed. "Hey, it wasn't just you. And…when I think back, I could've handled it better. I didn't have to just disappear on you guys. But I wanted a fresh start – somewhere new, away from McKinley. You know high school followed us to New York."

"Yeah," Rachel said with a grim chuckle.

"If we'd been realistic, we all would've known that really only you were going to make it big – and not quickly. But we all ran off with dreams of instant stardom. And that's why we imploded. I don't blame you for the way things turned out, and frankly, I could've done a lot worse."

"Where did you go even?" Rachel asked. "I remember getting flowers from you once, when I started my run of Spring Awakening. But I never really knew where you were."

"Colorado. I went and got my degree from U of Denver. Got my Master's over here and ended up staying."

"That's brilliant, San," Rachel said, smiling brightly. "What do you do now?"

"I work for the Digital branch. It's complicated, but it's basically making sure that all the cable networks have our stuff. And you? What have you been up to?"

"Broadway," Rachel said, shrugging. "I'm in Wicked for the next two weeks."

"Epic."

"Will you come see me?"

"Of course! It's been a while since I saw a show anyway. And I've never seen you on stage since you made it big, Miss EGOT."

Rachel laughed. "We should hang out again, before I leave. I've missed you."

Santana smiled and nodded. "I've missed you too, Hobbit."

Rachel sobered a bit then. "Really? I mean…I wasn't the greatest friend before you left."

"Stop that. You were as good a friend as you knew how to be at the time."

"I feel like that's a bit of a cop out on my part," Rachel said, lips twitching slightly.

"Maybe, but that doesn't make it less true. And look, we're both in great places now. Fate brought us to the same damn sushi shop in the middle of London. Forget what happened before – let's start over, older and more mature."

"Deal," Rachel said, finishing off her California roll.

"I've got to get back," Santana said. "But I'll see you soon."

* * *

Opening night jitters were a thing of the past for Rachel. She'd done this so many times now, that she didn't get even tiny cases of the nerves. Except…tonight. Tonight she was nervous for the first time in probably three years. Santana was coming to the show, and she felt a huge urge to perform like she'd never performed before.

Coming back into the main area of her dressing room, she spotted a vase of roses on the table. Smiling she read the note.

_Who can say if I've been changed for the better?_

_I do believe I have been changed for the better._

_And because I knew you, I have been changed for good._

_See you after the show, S._


End file.
